played against the top two in the Eastern Conference in two days. The Rockets first defeated the Bulls on the road. Then on the morning of December 28, the Rockets will go directly to the Celtics home court to compete with the No. 1 player in the Eastern Conference. Regardless of whether the Rockets can win this game, the Rockets fans were very satisfied with the previous victory over the Bulls. The Rockets' game not only ended the Bulls' three-game winning streak, but also ended their own five-game losing streak.
More importantly, the Rockets players have blossomed more, and the core players have performed well. Even role players such as Taytay Washington, Garuba, Ethan and other players have also shown their level. The Rockets' internal twin towers, Jabari Smith (power forward) and Shen Jing (center), used their own performance to completely defeat, and even "blow up" the opposing Bulls' internal twin towers.
Let’s take a look at the data. The Bulls’ starting power forward Patrick Williams made 5 of 10 shots and 2 of 6 three-pointers in 40 minutes. He only had 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in the game, with a plus-minus value of -16. Former All-Star center Vucevic , this game is no longer magical. He only scored 4 goals in 13 shots in 30 minutes, 1 of 5 three-pointers, and 1 of 2 free throws. He only scored 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists in the game, with a plus-minus value of -13.
Let’s look at the Rockets’ Twin Towers again. Smith made 6 of 14 shots and 1 of 6 three-pointers in 31 minutes. He scored 13 points and 8 rebounds. 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 2 steals, with a plus-minus value of +15; Shen Jing was even more impressive. He made 10 of 12 shots, 1 of 1 three-pointers, and 4 of 4 free throws in 32 minutes. He scored 25 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal, with a game-high plus-minus of +24.
In other words, the Bulls' twin towers only scored 22 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in this game; while the Rockets' interior twin towers jointly contributed 38 points, in addition to 19 rebounds and 8 assists! The Houston Twin Towers not only overwhelmed their opponents on the offensive end, but also defended Pawei and Vucevic on the defensive end.
In the past, the Rockets' twin towers rarely showed their strength on both the offensive and defensive ends, but in this game, facing the Bulls' interior line, which is not very weak, the Rockets' interior twin towers obviously produced All-Star-level statistics. Especially Shen Jing's 25+11+6 gave everyone a vague glimpse of Jokic's shadow.
In addition to scoring by various means, the Rockets' twin towers are also proficient in rebound protection and assists. Their skills are too comprehensive. I still remember last season, the Rockets' Shen Jing performed well when facing ordinary centers, but he was always beaten when facing star centers. But now it won't happen at all. Not only can Shen Jing compete with super centers like Jokic and Embiid without falling behind, but he can also always win when facing some quasi-first-class centers. Shen Jing plays under the basket, and Smith floats in the mid-to-long range to attract the defense to open up space. The Rockets' twin towers have become more and more cooperative.
